From Hello Kitty to Cartier... Korea arrests largest ever ”fake goods department store” distributor

A distributor who ran the largest ever "counterfeit department store" of all time, ranging from Hello Kitty to Cartier, has been arrested by the Japan Patent Office's Special Judicial Police.
The Trademark Special Judicial Police of the Korea Intellectual Property Office (hereinafter referred to as the Trademark Police) operates a large accessory store in Busan,
On the 1st, it was revealed that suspect A (38), who distributed large quantities of counterfeit brand accessories such as rings and necklaces, had been referred to the prosecutor's office on suspicion of violating the Trademark Act.
According to the Trademark Police, suspect A engaged in wholesale sales of counterfeit brand accessories and popular character goods from January to April 2025.
They are suspected of distributing approximately 40,000 items (worth approximately 340 billion won (approximately 36 billion yen) at genuine prices) across South Korea, the largest amount since the establishment of the Trademark Police.
In January of this year, the Trademark Police began an investigation after confirming the activities of a wholesaler advertising counterfeit brand accessories on community-based social networking sites.
After securing evidence of counterfeit accessories through an intensive investigation lasting several months, counterfeit goods were seized from a large store operated by suspect A.
As a result of the investigation, it was determined that suspect A was selling counterfeit branded products made of Surgical Stills material.
The company mainly sold accessories and popular character goods at wholesale prices, and some of the items were sold directly to consumers at its stores. By brand, the items seized included Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Chanel, and others.
The most common category was counterfeit accessories from foreign brands, with 30,543 items (77.6%). Popular characters such as Sanrio (Hello Kitty, etc.), Pokemon, and Kakao Friends were also included.
These include 7,924 counterfeit products (20.1%) that used Lacter's trademarks without permission, and 913 counterfeit products (2.3%) of fashion brands such as MLB and Emis.
By item, the largest number of items seized were accessories such as rings and bracelets, totaling about 30,000 items, followed by miscellaneous items such as keychains and hats, totaling about 10,000 items.
It was done.